


DARK DAYS (ARE GONE)

by shineefive



Series: What could've been [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Characters will be added as the chapters are posted, F/M, Not Canon Compliant, Relationships will be added as the chapters are posted, There are a lot of OC in this one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:00:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shineefive/pseuds/shineefive
Summary: They got around to see a glympse of their future, now is time for them to live it.A series of One-Shots set around the lives of the Konoha 13 years after the events of 'One day (Maybe not)'.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Series: What could've been [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913728
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here's the sequel I was talking about.  
> There will be no correlation between the different chapters as they are one-shots. Really this are just some ideas I had while writing the first part but they didn't fit the story at the time :)  
> I hope you like them!
> 
> Ages in this one-shot, in case you were wondering:  
> 33 for the Konoha 13 appearing in this one.  
> The kids: Sora and Shikaru 10, Yukio 12.

“No. Absolutely no.” Sasuke kept passing along the room, his only arm flying into all directions as he listed all the reasons he shouldn’t do what Naruto wanted him to, “I’m going to scare them off! It’s dangerous for people to be around me outside the village. I’m a lot of things but a sensei isn’t one of them.”

Naruto smirked at him from behind his desk. He was wearing that stupid and horrible orange jacket of his. Sasuke would’ve thought that after his short-lived black jacket phase he would have grown out of the orange color. He was wrong, apparently.

“Sasuke, it’s only fair you get a team. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the only one out of our little group not to take on a genin team yet. It’s not fair that every other jonin has done it and you keep getting out of it”

“I hate it when you go all Hokage on me. Shino didn’t get a genin team either.” He tried again, stopping in front of the desk filled with paperwork.

“Shino left ANBU and became an academy sensei, that’s more work than any genin team. You, on the other hand, left ANBU to go back to regular duty. It’s only fair that you give back to the village.”

Sasuke groaned. He should’ve stayed a missing-nin, he wouldn’t be going through the headaches Naruto constantly inflected on him if he had done that. But then again, he wouldn’t have Taro, Sarada and Naoko. Much less Sakura.

“Fine.” He sighed, resigning to his fate, “But I’m not going to enjoy it.”

Naruto laughed, loud and clear. “Yes, yes.” He scoffed while searching through the biggest pile of papers on his desk, removing folders and placing them into other piles until he found what he was looking for. He handed the folder to him, “I think you’re going to like your new team.”

Sasuke eyed him warily. He didn’t like the sound of that.

* * *

“If you would be so kind to listen to me.” Mumbled Shino-sensei as soon as he entered the room. He had a stash of folders in his arms.

Shikaru wasn’t in her best mood. She had woken up late to find his parents gone and his baby brother nowhere to be found. It usually wouldn’t bother her ꟷsince she was pretty responsible. Her parents stopped waking her up as soon as she entered the Academy, when she made it clear she was a big girl and could wake up on her own.

That day, sadly, she slept in, and thus didn’t have time to reheat the breakfast her mother had left in the stove for her.

And there she was, two hours later, hungriness slowly consuming her. Maybe that was a bit exaggerated, she would survive, but she was still hungry.

Shino-sensei placed his stuff on his desk and motioned for them to stop talking. “Congratulations on your graduation,” He smiled at them, that creepy smile that Shikaru learned to like after two years of constantly seeing it. “It’s been my pleasure to teach you all. From today on you will be shinobi, perhaps only genin for the time being, but soon, I’m sure enough I’ll be able to call you all my comrades.”

Shikaru raised her hand to her neck, where she had placed her hitai-ate. She was a shinobi now; it was her duty to protect the village.

“…I will proceed to name the different squads you will belong to for, at least, the next few months. Team 1, consisting of…”

Shikaru tuned out after that. She didn’t care about the others teams, she didn’t even know the kids, as they were two years older than her. She glanced around the room, as in her old class, there was an uneven match of boys and girls. Boys were always the bigger number, even if from what she had heard, more girls signed up for the Academy now, boys kept on being the merrier group.

Next to her, Sora was taking in all the information she could master, just as it had been since the day they met, when they were still babies in diapers. She didn’t remember it, but her mom had made sure to take all the pictures she could.

Shikaru was a Nara, and although she hadn’t inherited the family laziness, she could be pretty relaxed when she wanted to, like right now, why would she care about some people she didn’t even know? Even if most of the time she acted as short-tempered as her mother, she was still her father’s daughter.

Sora, on the other hand, was pretty much her dad. People often said that if uncle Neji were a woman, and had a sense of humor, it would be pretty much Sora. She was loud, but very perceptive, and smart, and always on the look for possible threats.

Maybe that’s why they were such good friends. They liked to think they complemented each other.

Sora elbowed her just as Shino-sensei named her. Now, now! That was something she was interested in. Her gaze flew to the front of the room. “Hyuga Sora and Hatake Yukio, you are team 9. Your sensei will be Uchiha Sasuke.”

Mhm. Uchiha Sasuke. Now, that was something she could work with. She knew he was a friend of her parents, but he was usually away on long mission, she hadn’t seen him much along her short life. But he was a legend among the village, much like her father and his whole bunch of weird friends, including Shino-sensei.

“Not fair!” Someone yelled behind her. “Why do they get the cool sensei?! I’m the best student! He should be _my_ sensei!”

It was a weird looking boy. He had red hair, just like uncle Gaara, and dark eyes. He was wearing a black shirt and his arms were covered in bandages. She didn’t recognize him.

“The sensei is elected by the Hokage and Headmaster Iruka themselves, if you have a problem with yours it’s better for you to check it out with them. Would you like me to show you the way?” Shino-sensei gestured with his hand to the door, waiting for his reply.

“I’m good.” The boy grumbled. But she was sure she heard something similar to ‘All of their fathers have connections, of course they would get the best sensei’.

Shikaru rolled her eyes, but didn’t bother to answer him.

“Sora…” She started, returning to the matter at hand, “Yukio is like your cousin, right?”

She had heard Sora mention him before. She knew he was the Rokudaime’s son, and had seen him around a few times in the Academy, but they hadn’t cross words. The kid lived in another country for the better part of his life and mostly kept to himself since he arrived.

Her friend nodded. “Yep. He’s nice and serious and good.”

“Mhm. At least we got a good sensei.” She reasoned. She would worry about his new teammate later.

“And that’s it.” Finished Shino-sensei. “It shouldn’t be much longer until yourꟷ” A knock on the door interrupted him, and soon enough Uchiha Sasuke was standing in front of them.

A collective gasp filled the room. The raven-haired man nodded at their sensei before quietly mumbling, “Team 9, let’s go.”

Shikaru saw an older kid stand up from his chair on the other side of the room, quickly making his way to the door, where her new sensei had exited a moment ago. Sora rushed after him, Shikaru behind her.

Outside of the room, Sasuke-sensei stood with his black cloak falling neatly around his body, completely covering him. “Meet me on top of the Hokage monument in ten minutes.” He simply said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

* * *

It wasn’t long until the kids reached the meeting point. Sasuke had used the time to think about his next move; he could fail them, make a test so hard they wouldn’t be able to pass, but Naruto would probably hold it over him, not to mention the parents of the kids. One day, he would make Naruto pay for handing him the only kids whose parents he knew.

“My name is Uchiha Sasuke, as you probably know already.” He started, turning around to face them, and giving his back to the village at the same time.

He scanned them over. In the center stood Neji’s kid, Sora; she looked like Tenten, brown hair and Chinese-like clothing, but her eyes didn’t match her parents’. He wondered if the girl had the byakugan, he hadn’t bothered to check the files Naruto had given him, only eyeing the name and age. The files were useless after all, it hadn’t told Kakashi he would flee the village, or that the dead last of their class would become Hokage.

To her right, Shikaru ꟷthe Nara kid. She stood still, but her eyes were flying around. She was blond, like her mother, but apart from that all he could see was Shikamaru. He just hopped she wasn’t as lazy as him.

And to Sora’s left stood Kakashi’s kid, Yukio. He knew why the kid had been put on his team, he was expected to teach him just as Kakashi had taught him, a long time ago. Him, he was more acquainted with, he had been living in Konoha for a few months and Sakura often volunteered to take care of him if necessary.

“We should start by introducing ourselves. Tell me about your specialties ꟷI’m assuming you already have one. Then your weakest point and dreams of the future.”

“You should go first.” Prompted Shikaru, “So we know what to do.”

Sasuke thought about refusing to, but he was supposed to be a sensei, which meant he had to teach them things, be their mentor. “Fine,” He smirked. “I specialize in everything, I have no weak points and I have no dream of the future, as I have already accomplished everything I dreamed of.”

Sora frowned. “That didn’t tell us anything!”

He ignored her, pointing at Yukio. “You, start.”

The boy had grey hair, but his eyes matched his mother’s, if he remembered correctly, and he didn’t wear a mask.

“I’m Hatake Yukio.” He stated proudly, pointing at himself. “I’m good at taijutsu, just like my dad, and I have my mom’s kekkei genkai, and I can summon my father’s ninken! Weakness,” He seemed to think about it, “Mhmm, I’m not good at genjutsu I guess. And my dream is to make a name for myself, not leaning on my parent’s names to do it.”

Sasuke nodded, and moved onto Sora, the next in line.

“My name is Hyuga Sora. I specialize in gentle fist, like my dad, but I like my mother’s weapon specialty too; I want to learn more about it. I can’t use genjutsu either, I’ve never needed to. My dream is to become an ANBU, and live up to my parents name.”

“Mhm. Shikaru.” He motioned for the last girl to continue.

“Shikaru Nara. I use the Nara technique since I’m not really good at manipulating wind like my mom. I can use it, but nowhere near her level. My weakness is taijutsu, I think. And my dream for the future is to beat my parents’ positions. I want to be stronger than my mom and smarter than my dad.”

He could work with them. Two of them were prodigies, if their ages where anything to go by, and the other was the son of not one, but two Kages and a crazy taijutsu master.

“I’m supposed to test you in order to make sure you’re capable shinobi, and if you’re not, I should send you back to the academy.” The kids’ faces take on a pouty face, “But doing that will probably end up with Naruto making me take another team next year, I’m just going to congratulate you.” He sighed, sure he would come to regret his decision later, “Congratulations, you’re officially team 9.”

* * *

“So you decided to use my daughter as a scapegoat.” Deadpanned Shikamaru.

Naruto flinched, covering his face with a stash of papers. “When you put it like that it sounds bad!”

“It doesn’t sound bad, it _is_ bad.” Agreed Sakura from her place by the door. She had come around to check on the favor she had asked him a few days ago. The favor that had him against the ropes right now.

Naruto gasped. She was throwing him to the wolves! “Sakura-chan!” He cried, “You put me up for this!”

She shook her head. “Don’t try to blame me for your mistakes, Naruto. I only asked you to make him stay for a few weeks, not to make him a sensei, for Kami’s sake. Have you seen him? He’s not sensei material.” She rolled her eyes, finally entering the room and closing the door behind her.

“Why didn’t you give him another genin team?” Shikamaru sighed, but thankfully returned to his seat. At least Naruto was safe, for now.

“Have you seen this kids?” Naruto grabbed the folders from his desk and handed them to him. “If I was going to make him a sensei, I had to give him a team that would tolerate his crazy antics. Unfortunately your daughter fitted the criteria.” He shrugged, trying to make it seem like it was no big deal.

It didn’t work.

“Temari is going to murder you when she finds out.”

Sakura frowned, finally stepping in ꟷhopefully to defend him. “Hey! My husband is not that bad.” A menacing look on her face.

“I’m not saying he is,” Reluctantly accepted Shikamaru, “But he _is_ Sasuke. He’s got the emotional state of a rock. I’m not sure he’s fit to be a sensei. Sure, he’s a fine shinobi, I’ve even taken a liking for him, but I’m not sure being a sensei is really his forte.”

Sakura shrugged. “You may be right. He’s a good father, he plays with our kids and helps me with them…when he’s around.” She finished, sighing, “I’m sorry for putting you up for this Naruto, and for getting you involved Shikamaru, but I’m tired of the hospital, I need to go back into the field, it’s been so long.”

“That’s why you want Sasuke around?” Asked Naruto, “You could’ve said so! Hinata and I can take the kids for you to go on missions.”

Sakura shook her head. “No, of course not! I have three kids; I can’t just go around throwing them into other peoples’ houses just to go on missions. That’s what fathers are for, and they have one. But Sasuke is set onto mending his mistakes by roaming around the world and protecting us from the shadows, but it’s been _six months_ since he decided to search information about the Otsutsuki ꟷon your command may I add…and I need him home, just for a while.” She whined, holding her head with her hands.

Naruto nodded, guilt settling on the pit of his stomach. Sasuke had certainly been away for a long time now, only coming home every few months for the past two years on his quest to find intel about the Otsutsuki Clan. He didn’t feel like correcting Sakura about the fact that Sasuke had asked for the mission, he remembered the way he had asked him for it. He wanted to make sure they had been wiped out before they could come for their families, and how could he say no to that? “Then it’s settled. We’re not taking the kids away from him.”

“Fine. But if I hear Shikaru say the minimal suspicious thing, I’m making _you,_ ” He pointed at Naruto, who once again flinched under his dark, menacing eyes, “Take over his sensei job. Let’s see how you manage being the Hokage and a sensei at the same time.”

Naruto gulped. He just hopped he was right about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> This story will be kind of different from the last one, since they are living their lives, not watching them happen through a orb. We get to see how they feel and what they think as they do it :)  
> I started classes today and probably won't have much time to write as before so please be patient with me!  
> (Tumblr in case you want to come and talk: happy-shinee)


	2. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so glad to have a little break from school, I was dying to upload something lol.  
> Please enjoy!!

Tenten was running along the battlefield. The Infinite Tsukuyomi dream was over and the war had ended. But for her, it felt as if it was only the beginning of a long battle.

Neji was hurt, he was hurt and nowhere near her, and she could feel nothing but anxiety burning inside of her. She didn’t know if he was alive, if he had died, she didn’t know a thing except what she had seen in the field almost a day ago. She thought he had died, when he first was hit by the wood projectiles, but Sakura had managed to stabilize him, and someone had taken him to the medical division, she couldn’t remember who, it had all happened so fast.

She was scared, scared of getting to Neji and find him no longer breathing. Of not being with him during his last breaths. She didn’t want him gone. She hadn’t even told him how she felt about him.

She felt tears stream down her cheeks, but she didn’t bother whipping them, it was the first time she let emotions flow through her body, all the fear, sadness, worry, her body could barely take it. She hoped Lee and Gai-sensei were alright, they had been alive the last time she had seen them. She would check on them later, but first she needed to know if the man she loved was alive.

The medical division came into view, people from the alliance were filling the tents rather quickly, she needed to find someone and get them to give her information.

Searching for the nearest medic-nin, she stumbled upon Shizune, she had an exhausted look on her face, and her short hair was dirty, same as her clothes.

“Where is Neji?” She asked, no bothering to hide the worry showing on her face.

Shizune blinked, and Tenten doubted she had even heard her. But to her surprise, the woman signaled one of the further tents.

She thanked her before taking off again, quickly making her way to the tent. She didn’t bother to ask permission before entering, instead stumbling through the tent’s door. She glanced around, frenetically, the place was full, medic-nins running from one bed to another, people hurting, people sleeping, people dying. But she only cared about one, and when she spotted him, it was as if a rock was removed from her shoulders. She could breathe again.

“Neji!” She cried, for a moment forgetting where she was. As she saw him open his eyes, her worry transformed into anger. “You idiot!” She growled, stomping towards his bed. “How dare you? Sacrificing yourself like that! I hate you! How could you be so selfish to let yourself die like that? Weren’t you thinking about me? About Lee and Gai-sensei?” She sobbed, falling by his side, her hands searching for his face.

He kept quiet, probably wondering what to say, but that only gave her more time to torture him.

“And what on earth were you thinking when you said just let me die?” She started again, finally whipping the tears falling from her eyes, “Don’t ever to that to me again!”

He looked so beaten up. His hair was shorter, they had probably cut it in order to have better access to his wounds. And his face, it was as white as paper, tired eyes looking back at her, dried lips trying to form words. She sobbed again, and soon enough she felt a hand caressing her cheek; he had removed a strand of her hair from her face, placing it behind her ear.

She let herself breath, he was there, resting in front of her, beaten up but alive.

“I’m sorry, Tenten.” He started, his voice barely a whisper, “It wasn’t my intention to make you worry.” His hand still resting on her cheek.

“You look terrible.” She answered, pointedly avoiding his eyes.

“You don’t look so good yourself, either.” Neji scoffed, but flinched when he tried to laugh.

She got into action, placing his hand back on the made-up bed, and scolding him, “Don’t go around laughing when you’re in so much pain!”

“I’m sorry.” He said again, taking a long breath and flinching along the way. “Are you ok?”

She nodded. “Better than you at least. I don’t know about Lee and Gai-sensei, thought. I came running to you as soon as the Tsukuyomi was released. They were fine the last time I saw them,” She finished lamely, just now understanding how pathetically she sounded. She had run like her life depended on it to a guy who would never feel the same way about her.

“The dream,” He breathed. “I didn’t even notice what was happening until I woke up.”

“What did you dream about?” She asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

“Things,” He mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

She frowned, he had the audacity to almost die and not tell her about his dream? Absolutely not. “Tell me!” She demanded, showing him her best scary look.

“No.” He shook his head.

“Ok then, I’m leaving.” She got up from the ground, her knees were hurting anyway. “Have a good time staying here all alone.”

Neji sighed and reached for her hand. “Fine.”

She smirked, knowing she had won, and proceeded to sit next to him, almost at the edge of his cot.

“It was pretty much the same as it is right now,” He started, avoiding her eyes once again.

She frowned, not understanding what he meant. He probably noticed her confusion, as he was sighing again.

“I dreamed about you coming to see me after the war.” He explained.

“Really? Wow, yours really did come true, then.” She winked at him.

“Not really.” He whispered, closing his eyes.

Was he trying to sleep? She was right in front of him! After running like crazy during miles! “Are you sleeping?” She growled.

“I almost died.” He said, almost in a condescending tone.

“And whose fault is that? You did this to yourself! I’m right here you know? The least you can do is talk to me and tell me about this dream of yours. What was different?”

“Why don’t you tell me about yours first?” He retorted, finally opening his eyes and facing her.

She panicked. Her dream? Oh kami, her dream! Why did she have to go and open her big mouth? “My dream?” She squealed, trying to appear calm and pretty much failing terribly by the high pitch of her voice. “I don’t remember.” She lied, “You know those dreams you forget as soon as you wake up? It was like that for me.”

He raised one of his eyebrows, “You’re lying.”

“I’m not!” She lied again, even making the effort to sound offended.

“Tenten, I’ve known you for six years, even more if you take into account our academy days, but we didn’t talk back then. My point is, I know you enough to know when you’re lying.” He pointed at her left eye, “Your eye shakes when you do it.”

She blushed. Was she really that easy to read? Oh man, how she hated her life, or rather, how she hated the boy in front of her. The beautiful, handsome, intelligent man that was lying down in front of her.

“I won’t tell you mine until I hear yours.” He shrugged, once again flinching when he did so.

She couldn’t tell him, could she? Her dream… how embarrassing, confessing that way to her longtime crush. But then again, he had almost died without knowing how she felt about him. What if he ended up in the same position again? Would she be able to bear the thought of never being able to tell him?

The answer was no. She wouldn’t.

 _Screw it_ , she thought.

“Fine. I was…older. Much older,” She remarked, remembering the way her hair was longer than it was now, and free of her comfortable buns, cascading down her back. “I was on training ground 23, which was the same as it was last time we were there before the war, maybe because it was only a dream…” She was trailing off, she knew it. Nerves were getting the best of her. “I was resting on a tree, and you were with me. You were older too, and had shorter hair, like you have right now,” She smiled at him.

“They cut it to have better access to my wounds,” He explained, not giving anything away. Did he like it?

She nodded. “We were watching a kid,” She continued, “A boy. He had long hair like you, and pale eyes.”

“Pale eyes?” Neji asked. For the first time, she saw the shadow of a surprised face cover his features; his eyes were slightly open.

“Like yours.” She explained, hoping he would understand and save her the embarrassment of having to explain it. “He was training with Lee’s kid ꟷhe was nowhere to be seen but the kid wore a green spandex, like c’mon, who else would make their kids wear those?” She scoffed.

Neji didn’t say anything, instead looking up at the tent’s ceiling. He was frowning, which lead her to furrow her brows too. Was he mad? Worse, was he _pitying_ her?

“Neji?” She asked, unsure of what to say.

“My dream,” He whispered, his eyes’ finding hers. “You kissed me when the war ended.”

Tenten blinked. He had dreamed about her kissing him? Had she damaged her eardrums while fighting?

She felt a hand covering hers, and when she glanced down, she found Neji’s hand firmly gripping hers between his own. He loved her back?

All she could see was red. “Are you telling me you love _me_ back and you still had the audacity to try and die without telling me? Neji Hyuga you’re such a poor excuse for a man!” She cried, tears making their way down her cheeks again.

How could he? Going around trying to die before confessing his feelings for her! She wanted to kill him herself! He was ꟷkissing her. He was kissing her!

In a swift motion he had pulled her down to his face and closed the small space separating their lips. And she was being kissed by the man she loved, and his lips were dry and she smelled terrible; she smelled of battlefield and sweat but he was kissing her still, so maybe everything would be alright.

His lips had a salty taste, probably from her tears, and he smelled just as terrible as she did, sweat mixed with blood and dirt, and as bad as it sounded, it was magical.

She tilted her head to deepen the kiss. For a moment, she forgot about the people surrounding them, and the screams coming from outside, of people asking for help and people mourning and people looking for their loved ones. For a moment, it was just the two of them.

And when they finally broke apart and she was able to look into his eyes, she found nothing but love on them, he was looking at her like she was the sun, small wrinkles forming on the edge of his pupil-less eyes as he smiled at her.

She sobbed, “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He returned.

“But if you ever do anything like that again and survive,” She glared at him “I’m killing you myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but i hope you found it nice. I love Neji and Tenten *cries in spanish*, so this is how i kind of imagine things went for them (before Neji left the village to join the twelve guardian ninja lol).  
> School is been killing me and I haven't had the time to write at ALL!!!! this was something i had already written during summer break and only edited a couple of things. But thankfully, i have a couple of hours this weekend, so maybe i'll get around to write something (fingers crossed).  
> I hope everyone is safe and happy!!! See you soon if things calm down around here uwu  
> (My tumblr in case you want to come and say hi: happy-shinee)


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